Why We Should Preach and Teach Using the Words the Bible Uses

When we come across big, "technical" words in our preaching and Bible study, we should use, study, and explain those words, rather than skirting around them or simply glossing over them with an alternative phrase.

Our goals as Christian women should and will look different the more we behold Christ and, in desperation, throw everything aside and root ourselves in him. Only then can we be immovable, unshakable, laughing at the days to come.​​

There are questions every pastoral candidate asks a search committee or hiring team when evaluating possible relocation, and then there are the questions every pastoral candidate ought to ask but rarely do. Here are four...

Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed in others—and, unfortunately, in myself—three parental motivations to avoid. Like weeds that force their way through the best-cultivated garden or thickest concrete, these motivations seem stubborn, always reappearing; resilient, always resurfacing.

Jesus is not the poster boy for old-time religion. He’s not the Bible Belt co-pilot. He’s not the post-modern homeboy. Jesus is the covenant-making God filling up the old in himself and pouring out the newness we long for.

For those of us living in the twenty-first century, how one understands the relationship of their faith in Christ and their obedience to Christ makes all the difference for living a life of joy and God-glorifying freedom.

This week's links include resources on explaining the gospel, why parents' generosity matters, God's kindness, Sign Language and Scripture, believing the Bible because of our parents, and how to encourage the preacher.

FTC Indianapolis Micro-Conference at TGC19

A Panel discussion from For The Church Indianapolis (TGC19) with 9marks on Denominations with Jason K. Allen, Jonathan Leeman, Ligon Duncan, and Sam Allberry, featuring a Q&A with Sam Allberry regarding the ministry Living Out.

Even if your earthly father was a failure, here you come to experience fatherly love in its ideal. Here is a Father who has committed himself to provide for us, his children, in exactly every way we need, and he has promised to direct our every step for our good and his glory.​

If we’re honest, for most of us, it isn’t the Hollywood sins that choke out our faith; it’s all the worries of life. All the distractions and noise around us simply box the Spirit of God right out of our day.

If our God-talk doesn’t respect him who is incomprehensible, we risk worshiping a glorified version of our own likeness. But if our posture is one of humility—faith seeking understanding—then our stammering turns into worship.​

For the Church Podcast

A Resource for the Church from Midwestern Seminary

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with Jeff Medders, Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Tomball, Texas and author or co-author of several books, including the new release Humble Calvinism

At the end of it all, he makes his final offer: all of your sin and unloveliness for all my kingdom of righteousness and unending, unyielding, unashamed, outrageously faithful love. Does that sound good?

I don’t think we can accomplish the goal of discipleship in the 21st century without demonstrating that we are willing to invite others into our mess, to hopefully show them that our mess is a Christ-centered and redemptive mess.

The poor in our cities are not going to be won by a group of timid men and women in a committee meeting; they will be won by those who dream big and trust in the absolute sovereignty of God to get things done.

For the Church Podcast

A Resource for the Church from Midwestern Seminary

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss the root sin beneath some recent headlines, from the Houston Chronicle's report on sexual abuse in the SBC to the recent firings of pastor James MacDonald and others.

In the spirit of Hebrews 11, reading good biographies summons forth a veritable chorus of cheers, encouraging us to lay aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us and to run with endurance the race set before us.

For the Church Podcast

A Resource for the Church from Midwestern Seminary

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson talks with Collin Hansen about the state of evangelicalism, the past and future of the "young, restless, Reformed" tribe, and cultural issues the church must begin wrestling with today.

Deadline to Register is February 18th

Walk where Edwards and Whitefield walked, visit everywhere from Yale to Harvard and coastal Maine to rural Vermont, meet with local pastors and church planters, and even enjoy some local eateries and coffee.

The Comforting Doctrine of Providence

Whatever Albert Einstein meant when he said “God does not play dice with the universe,” the believer can assert with even greater conviction (and gratitude) that his heavenly Father does not play dice with his people.

Trials, of all kinds, test our faith in crucible-like ways—ways that will show the greatness and goodness of God and result in our greater praise to him. This is, in part, because he endures the trials with us.​

There is much good in young men rejecting passivity, taking responsibility, and seeking to better themselves. But the arteries of anger, victimhood, and aggressive machismo running through the new masculinity movement do not bode well.

Develop a Parenting Ministry Partnership with the Children You Already Have

As they see you expanding your parenting to include the new kids in your home, while yet devoting yourself to them, they will be ready to expand their capacity to be a brother or sister to the new kids God has given you.

In the Christian gospel, we have not only a God who answers our questions, but also a God who enters our pain. The fact that Jesus entered our world to live as a man of sorrows proves he’s trustworthy.​

When I look at the history of the Church, I am reminded that God often works wonders through deeply broken people, and through some of the darkest atrocities imaginable. My faith is not in Christians, but in Christ — a holy, good, and just God.​

The Promise of the Local Church

The New Testament is saturated with the local church. Trying to understand these 27 books apart from the local church is like playing baseball without the bases. You may be able to recognize the sport, but the path to winning has been eliminated.

11 Lessons from a Legacy of Faithful Ministry

My dad often told me, “The debt we owe to the past is to leave the future indebted to us.” Here are 11 things I learned from my dad and grandfather that have sustained me for the last 65 years in ministry.

Real friends are candid and give counsel, but their love keeps it from being reckless. Real friends are careful with one another. They don’t want to push you away; they want to bring you nearer to themselves and to Jesus.

These things took time and a process in order to come full-circle - the pain of personal growth, the healing after the pain, and the perspective gained in hindsight beyond the healing. And the unnerving and exciting thing is this: God’s still got more to do.​